Morphean
by JoanyChan
Summary: When her world burns in living hell, a fairytale loving 10 year old meets a silver-haired swordsman who claims that she is destined to be a princess guardian of the Spirit World. She escapes to an eerie fantasyland to complete the tasks that will allow her to return to her real home. But with the pain and inhumanity of reality haunting her, it is hard not to shatter...
1. The Clock Strikes Midnight

**I'd just like to clarify the fact that the main character IS NOT an OC. You'll get it if you read to the end of the chapter...**

* * *

_Once upon a time, _

_in a land far, far away _

_where everything is peacefully white,_

_there lived a beautiful and strong girl who was blessed with great powers._

_She worked hard to become one of the graceful swords maiden dressed in midnight black,_

_for she dreamed of being able to protect her loved ones._

_One day,_

_she lost control of her abilities_

_and caused devastating destruction._

_Frightened of her potential,_

_she decided to escape to the human world._

_Time passed and she soon forgot her true past;_

_forever she was to be unconsciously trapped_

_in a world of hatred, avarice, and cruelty_

_until she died._

_But her dear childhood friend_

_knew that she would be reborn _

_into another human girl._

_So he waited for the day _

_his friend reappeared_

_so that she could once more_

_regain the happiness that was once hers..._

The princess wearing a black dress—I think it's a Japanese one—and holding out a sword is gone, all I can see is a hand on the cover.

"Lin Xiao Tao."

I look up and I see Mama. It's not good when she uses my full Chinese name. But she doesn't look angry. I think it would be better to describe it as tired.

She sighs, "Xiao Tao, you're already 10. You're too old for these make-believe stories. When I was your age, I never read books. I was cooking for my family and taking care of all my sisters and brothers."

Mama has black hair that is a bit wavy at the end. In old black-and-white pictures, she has long hair, but she has short hair here. She also has some more wrinkles on her face. I think it's because she has been married to Baba and taking care of me so much.

She places some yen in my palm, "Go to the market and get some fresh vegetables for dinner."

There are a lot of people in these streets of Nanjing. Lots of the boys from school play ball in the alleys as grown ups rush by. The vender I usually buy from gives me bok choy and lotus root. In return, I hand her the yen and tell her how Mama is doing.

The wrinkly old people with gray and white hair like to sit in front of buildings, drinking tea while gossiping about grown up things. The Nainai like to gossip about stuff like women having babies. The Yeye like to argue about business and things I don't really understand. But today, everyone is talking about the Japanese. Apparently, the Japanese are coming to our city and they have done a lot of bad things to the Chinese people on the way. I asked Baba a few days ago why the Japanese would want China when they already have Japan, and told me that I was safe and not to worry.

I'm not worried. But everyone else seems to be. Just yesterday, my best friend left Nanjing with her family because they didn't feel safe. I wonder if they made it out, because the Baba called the government something bad; the Chinese army won't let any of us out. One day, when Baba came home, I heard him swear at the Captain of the army because our neighbors were killed from trying to escape.

But even everyone kind of tense, I still like my home city. I like the shrine I pass by on the way home the most. With the bag of vegetables in my hand, I walk through the shrine entrance and peer at the puddle left from yesterday's rain.

I can see myself in the reflection, wearing a flower-pink _qipao_ that goes down my knees. My black hair is combed back into a bun and my almond brown eyes stare back at me.

Mama gets angry at me if I'm out in the streets too long, especially nowadays because she thinks something bad might happen soon. But ten minutes shouldn't do any harm. So today I pretend I am one of those swords maidens in black like in that fairy tale I was reading. With a long stick I found in the forest, I slash at pretend enemies like those guardians did with their swords.

In the story, the swordsmen can speak to their swords. And each blade has a different power. Right now, I pretend to be a guardian in training because I can't imagine what kind of power I would have.

A black butterfly flies past my nose. I try following it by turning, but it is gone.

"Oi."

Instead, there is a boy with messy hair. He looks funny, with his hair as white as snow and eyes as blue as the sky, but I've gotten used to it. The first time I met him was about a month ago here. I think he mistook me for someone else that time, but now things are all clear.

"Hi Bai!"

I call him Bai—it means white in Chinese—because he has never told me his name. He doesn't seem to mind. This is why I make sure to go to the shrine everyday, so I can play with Bai. Unlike my friends, Bai doesn't go to school and I don't know where he lives. He seems foreign because he wears an outfit that looks like what a samurai would wear only it is all black. There's a sword tied at his back; he has never drawn it but I'm sure it's real. He looks like one of those swordsmen.

Being with Bai is like having an older brother. He is only a little bit taller than me but I can tell that he is definitely older. Sometimes he is grumpy (especially when I ask him if he is short for his age) and other times he teases me (I hate it when he calls me a bedwetter); but I know he must think of me as a friend—otherwise, why else would he stay with me?

"Say, Bai, what do you want to play today?"

He looks at me with this expression that proves that he must be older. His eyes are on the horizon, where Nanjing's walls are. I hear him say quietly: "So it's time..."

I don't have time to wonder because the ground shakes and loud pops fill the air. My knees are scraped from falling to the ground and it is suddenly really hard to hear. But when I can hear again, I hear lots of screaming and more booms that make my heart jump.

Bai helps me up and starts running. He is hurting my arm a bit but I let him drag me along.

"Bai!? Where are we going?!"

"To the Oni. They are about to do something bad."

I don't understand. I don't know what Oni are and it doesn't sound Chinese. But we are running down down down the stairs as my feet hit the ground hard, even though Bai is so fast that his feet don't even seem to touch the ground.

We dodge and duck through mobs of people. They are all wide eyed, and I think I am too. Everything is blurry and I can tell my hair is all messed up because strands of it fall in front of my eyes.

There are people wearing gray military clothing on the streets. When I look closer, I realize that they are actually monsters. They have black hair like me, but there are horns coming out of their heads. Their nostrils are huge and they have sharp claws. They shriek in laughter as they take their axes and swords and run them right through people. I see one monster hold the vegetable vender's head by the hair.

Only the rest of the vender's body isn't there.

Her arms and legs are splayed on the ground next to vegetables that should be green but are red instead from being soaked in sticky puddles of scarlet.

The monster turns his head...and then the black fabric of Bai's sleeve shields my eyes and he keeps dashing forward, fast. So fast that I can't see anything but grays and blacks and red. Lots of red. I think some of it splashes on my face as I hear screams that makes me jump like the sound of thunder makes me leap. But Bai tightly grips my hand and continues on.

When we stop, I realize that we are in front of my home. And home means safe.

"We're too late." I hear Bai mutter angrily under his breath.

The front door is bashed open and there are footprints of something hideously large that lead into the halls. Inside, I see hungry shadows lurking. I don't want to go in, but I don't want Bai to leave me either. So I follow him through the door.

I remember that Mama and Baba should be home. Something in my chest feels lighter as I imagine that they will tell me everything is just a bad dream.

Bai's hand is gone. I think he went on ahead. But I stop in the doorway of the living room. I am frozen.

There is a woman in the room. She is pale and there is a hole in her forehead. She is naked, and her familiar qipao with her apron are torn, tossed on the ground near her. She lies face up with her arms weirdly raised, like a broken doll. There are red claw marks near her bottoms where her underwear should be but there is no underwear. Underneath her is a pool of bright red.

I wonder why this scary woman is here. But she has short black hair.

And she is Mama.

I stare.

If I cry, this woman can't hug me. And she won't kiss me. I don't even want her to, because she frightens me. The parted lips as if in a scream, the cold face, the wild wide eyes...it looks like a screaming ghost. She is my mother, but I am scared of her.

And I cannot speak because it feels like something has grabbed my heart and is twisting it hard. It hurts. So much that it steals my voice and I can't feel.

I don't know how long I have been standing here. But it feels like there is no time. Just emptiness. Me and this bare woman.

A hand is on my shoulder. It feels far away, so I don't move and I keep my eyes on the naked body.

"We have to go."

I can hear him. Yet I can't. Nothing registers.

"Mo—I mean, Xiao Tao..."

Silence

"We have to. Or else the Oni—

He steps in front of me and puts both hands on my shoulders. His eyes are really blue and really nice. And I really want Mama.

Quietly, he says, "This is all part of the test. You see that plum?"

I look at the ground. Along with the shattered porcelain tea set that Mama inherited, there are fruits smashed and half-eaten or rotten on the ground, as if monsters were here. But there is an uneaten and ripe plum—perfect and dark purple, at my foot.

"That is the sign. You are Tobiume's swords-maiden. A guardian princess of the Spirit World. Your real home is somewhere much nicer than here. But you have to get your powers back first. And this is all part of the test."

I believe him. That's right, this isn't my real home because it doesn't make sense for something so horrible to happen to me. It doesn't make sense for my home to be ruined to nothing. It doesn't make sense for Mama to be gone forever. This isn't real. Real is somewhere else.

"Be brave, alright?"

Bai's eyes are actually a bit green too. It reminds me of warm grass in the summer. They are really nice and warm, even if they are a shade of cool blue too. So I open my mouth.

Nothing comes out. Something has stolen my voice.

He stares at me and my open mouth. Gritting his teeth he says, "So they stole your voice too. Damn it." He seems to be thinking hard about something. Finally he tells me, "We'll have to find some treasure to trade with a witch to get it back."

I feel myself nod silently.

Noises are in the kitchen. Deep growling noises, foreign noises. Shadows appear by the door and they are huge, bumpy. With one look at the horns, I know they are the monsters. The Oni.

"Let's go." He whispers and holds my hand, whisking my up the stairs before the monsters can see me. Or before I see the monsters.

In the drawer of my parents' room, which has not been touched yet, is a small wooden box. When I open it, something inside the box glows a warm gold and I know somehow that this is what Bai is talking about. I clutch it close to my heart and we sneak out the back door.

The sky glows red like blood and there is gray smoke hanging in the sky. Gray bodies lie on the ground. Gray people with wide-eyes wander and wail. Ashes are everywhere from burned buildings. Everything is dark.

Except for Bai. His hair is still as white as snow and the black he wears is vibrant. We walk hand in hand until we reach a small complex in another district of Nanjing. Maybe the Oni haven't gotten to this house yet.

"This house belongs to a family of witches. You have to give them the treasure and they'll help you heal your voice."

I nod.

_Be brave. Be brave. _

Bai is next to me, so I can do it. I take a breath and take the steps that lead me to the front door.

Then I knock.

Her mother told her not to hang around with the girl too much, but she can't help but feel curious about her.

She looks the same age as her. When she first showed up at their door two days ago, her hair was fringed and wild like black branches. Her face was smudged with dried blood and dirt. She looked pale, yet ashes from the sky made her look dark. Her _qipao_ was all dirty and ripped to the point that she couldn't even tell it what color it was. But what made her curious the most as she peeked from behind her mother's back, was how wide her eyes were; her brown irises were shaking so much that she thought they might jump out of her almond-shaped eyes.

Her mother and father argued a bit over whether they should take her in. Eventually they did, because the little girl her age held out a box of some jade necklaces. That, and because her family is nice and generous, so the little girl should be very grateful—is what her mother said when she snapped and let the girl through the door.

There is another thing odd about her: she can't talk.

Right now, as the little girl is washing the floors like her mother told her to (because her family is nice and the girl should be grateful), she wonders what the girl saw to make her look so scared that day. She wonders if whatever that girl saw stole her voice too. Or maybe she was just born that way.

She walks up to the girl, who is dressed in one of her old _qipao_ her mother meant to throw away. Standing over her bent over body, she tilts her head, letting her orange-brown hair fall to one side.

"Say, how old are you?" She cheerily asks.

The little girl's hands on top of the wet cloth stop. And then with a hand, she traces out strokes on the floor.

She understands, "Oh! I'm ten too!"

So they are the same age. But with her small frame, the little girl seems much younger.

"Hey, where is your Mama and Baba? Why are you all alone?"

The girl's eyes meet hers. They are very, very empty. It makes her uncomfortable so she shakes it away and then asks, "Do you want to be friends?"

Slowly, the girl nods.

"I'm Inoue Gong Zhu. Isn't that pretty? My last name is Japanese because I'm half and Tou-chan is Japanese. He says that my Japanese first name is Orihime! Say, what's your name?"

She is no good at lip reading, so the girl tries writing it on the ground but that is no good either because there are too many strokes. So she runs to get some paper and a pencil to bring back to the girl.

Lin. Xiao. Tao.

She crouches down so she can see the girl's brown eyes and then cheerfully thinks, "Hmm...Lin Xiao Tao...That's nice but..." She grins, "Want to have a Japanese name? Tou-san says it's best that we pretend that we are all Japanese now that the Japanese are taking over the city. That's why I call my Baba Tou-chan. Say, how about it?"

The girl stares. She takes her silence as a yes. Placing a finger on her lip, she thinks hard about all the Japanese words she has learned that translates from the girl's Chinese name. Finally, she snaps her fingers and grins at her new friend.

"Hinamori Momo."

**A/N: I have a pretty good idea where this fic will take me...although time may be an issue...**

**This idea has many inspirations. For one, I was inspired by Guillermo Del Torro's _Pan's Labyrinth_, which I watched in Spanish class earlier this year.**

**Second, this setting is loosely based on the Nanjing Massacre, a mass war rape in which the Chinese were victimized by a Japanese troop that went out of control. It took place in 1937, during the course of WWII. Oh, my disclaimer: whatever I write, it is by no means an attack on any nationality, I am merely tying my fanfiction to an event in history that little people are aware about—which is sad, because I am a true believer in learning from mistakes.**

**It's hard to make out Chinese pingying, so I'll just point it out here:**

**Lin Xiao Tao (****林小桃****): the first name means Little Peach and the last name means Forest. It was the best I could do with translation from the Kanji. Direct translation was awkward.**

**Gong Zhu (****公主****): Means princess. "Woven Princess", the real meaning of Orihime, was too hard. So I just stuck with Princess. **

**As always: Review and let me know what you think!**


	2. The Cinder Girl

**The Cinder Girl**

His mother—or should he say Oka-san—reeks heavily of booze. And of other men.

"Gao Tian. No, Sora...is that you?"

He tries to mask his disgust at this woman that stumbles into the living room, with her disheveled dress that has been hastily buttoned. It is winter and yet she is clad in a thin, sleeveless _qipao_. It is a good thing it is midnight, when his little sister can't see what happens beyond daylight.

But at least, sometimes, she brings food home. Ever since the Japanese army stormed into Nanjing five days ago, money has almost been completely useless. There is no one to trade with. Everyone is either dead or dying.

Before he can say anything, glass explodes against the wall behind his mother. Some of the shards graze her and she yelps in pain.

"You slut!"

That roar belongs to no one else but his father. He comes in from the kitchen, making the air even denser with alcohol. With heavy, clumsy footsteps he walks over and punches the wall, barely missing his mother's face.

"Give me the money." He breathes into her face heavy with makeup.

She snarls, "What, so you can buy more booze?"

"Shut up, bitch!" He grabs her neck.

She shrieks, "Go get a job then! All you do is waste the money! What about the children!? We haven't eaten in five days! Go get a job! Get a job!"

Gao Tian knows that there are no jobs. His father used to have problems with alcohol before when he was unemployed. Now he is unemployed again. He is trapped in this home, unable to do anything but hide as his family starves.

"It's all your fault! For letting that girl in!" He tightens his grip. Soon, she can't breath.

"At least she's more useful than you!"

"Get rid of her! Kill her! We'll have more to eat! More than what you get!"

"I'm not dirtying my hands you bastard! You do it!"

As they continue screaming at one another, trying to seek someone to blame for the family's desolation, Gao Tian notices someone in the corner of his eyes. It's the mute girl, standing at the top of the stairs, staring at the scene.

From her facial features, he knows that she is Chinese like him. The girl only acts as a replacement for the housemaid that fled a day before the invasion. Although his mind sympathizes her as an orphan who could've been his little sister, his empty stomach and worn body wants her gone—she is a waste of space, an extra mouth to feed.

It makes him guilty to agree with his parents' unequal treatment with the child. They only speak in Japanese now, holding on to the slim chance that it may allow them to slide by when snooping through trash cans outside. The girl is left out of their Japanese lessons. Which should be okay because he is not even sure she knows Chinese.

Yet right now, why do her eerie eyes make him feel that she understands every word his parents are yelling?

* * *

Yu-ki. Snow.

I trace the kanji-which is the same as the Chinese character, which makes this new language easier for me to learn—in the snow and then mouths the word. Crouched close to the grayed-snow, I turn to my friend excitedly.

Bai gives me a small smile as a reward, "Good."

I'm lucky to have my friend with me. He has been teaching me Japanese these past few days in between the chores the witch family gives me. Gong Zhu—I mean, Orihime-chan (honorifics are so complicated)—is nice but only when her mother isn't watching. I don't like her mother; she makes me clean up the vomit on the ground that smells like something really heavy along with glass pieces that sometimes cut my fingers. They don't teach me Japanese either like they do with Orihime-chan and her older brother. It's a good thing Bai is always next to me and helps me translate.

Today the witch mother sent me out to search through the trash bins. I don't have a coat on even if it is snowing and cold because she said that I'm lucky enough to have a place to hide. When she says things like that, she says it like I am a little bug and I don't like it very much. I also don't like how on bad days—when I can only find a few fruit peels—the witch hits me. And on days I do find something good—like the bones of a stray dog—I don't get any of what I find. But I am a bug, so I can't ask for any more.

Bai says I have to wait a little longer until we find the potion the witch is hiding—the one that will give me my voice back. When I can't go to sleep because my stomach feels like it is trying to eat the rest of me, he tells me about the Spirit World and pats me slowly on the back until I fall asleep.

Are you Japanese?

I write in the snow in half-Chinese and half-Japanese (since all I can remember is that when you ask questions you add on _desu ka_ at the end).

Leaning against the wall at the opening of the alley, he considers it for the moment. "I guess you could put it like that. We don't really consider nationality in the Spirit World."

What is your real name?

I write on another fresh space of snow.

He smirks and teases, "Your hirigana is wrong." He points out my mistake.

I pout as he snorts softly in laughter. He is avoiding the subject. But I fix my writing and then stare stubbornly at him.

I don't get a response because I hear shouts and growls from the main street. Quickly, Bai grabs me and we hid behind the trash cans. It smells like a pig's pen that has never been cleaned and I see a fat rat eyeing us at the corner of my eye. I want to run away but Bai's arms hold me still.

Two Oni with bumpy skin that reminds me of fat toads stomp over. They have something in their massive claws. It looks like a naked doll, only its black hair is dripping red. Soon I only see black. Bai's sleeve.

Sometimes he does this when I search outside for food in the streets and see the Oni. I wonder what he doesn't want me to see, but then I don't think I really want to. Suddenly, something heavy falls on top of me and I hear the Onis' footsteps become softer. It feels cold and wet...maybe like two arms and two legs...

With his sleeve still over my eyes, Bai leads me somewhere. The next time he takes his arm away, I am in another alley. I touch my hair; it leaves a red stain on my palm. Now my hand feels dirty and smells like metal. I want to ask Bai what it is, but then he says:

"I think we'll try searching for the potion again today."

* * *

Orihime-chan is sick. Very sick. She is lying in her cot right now and her face is red. Everything about her face looks like rubber and seems blown up. Her legs are starting to get swollen too.

Her brother snuck out and found a doctor in hiding. The man told the witch mother that Orihime-chan has been eating bad food; she needs medicine that he doesn't have because the Japanese took all of the drugs from the hospital—the ones that weren't burned up when they set the building on fire. If she doesn't get the medicine soon, all the people near her might get infected.

I should be next to Orihime-chan, making sure she doesn't sit up and try to throw up red, like her mother told me to. It is just me and Orihime-chan in the house because it is evening and that is when the witch mother and father leave. Even if the witch parents are home, they don't want to get near Orihime-chan. So they make me take care of her instead, although her older brother likes to be next to her too. But right now he is out too, trying to find something to help Orihime-chan.

But instead of being with Orihime-chan, I am standing on the counter in the kitchen, trying to find the potion in the cabinets. Maybe Orihime-chan can be cured by the potion too. When I find it I will share it with her because we are friends.

I think I hear footsteps and some crinkling. Quickly, I turn to Bai, who said he would be watching by the doorway.

But he isn't there.

Instead, it is the witch mother.

But I don't look at her eyes, I look at the bar of what I am very sure is chocolate in her hand. It looks very new and very tasty, but it is almost gone. Then I notice how the edges of the witch's lips are slightly dark brown and how full her mouth looks.

Her face turns a deep, dark red. She seems clumsy as she hides the chocolate behind her back and eagerly licks the corners of her lips.

Before I can even twitch, her hand is pulling on my hair and it feels as if my scalp is on fire. Everything becomes a blur and a force throws me to the ground. I hear a crack that comes from my ankle. It hurts and my mouth opens from the pain but nothing comes out.

"You little brat!"

Something strong slaps me in the cheek. My skin burns.

"You stealing little bitch! How dare you!"

I try to push her away, but it's no use—I am too small. And I am a bug. Right now, she is squashing me. Squashing me into nothing with her ear-splitting screams and pounding fists.

I am a bug. And when it is over and the witch leaves the house with the slam of a door, I feel tiny and silent and I feel like nothing. I can't move any part of my body because I can't feel them. All I can move is my eyes. And from that, I know that my foot is turning in a funny way that makes me want to throw up, but I have nothing in my stomach.

I want Bai. Bai.

And suddenly he is there. Sitting next to me in his vibrant black clothes, clean silver hair, and bright blue eyes that watch over me. All the grayness washes away and I feel tears slip down my cheeks.

"Shit...I went to check another room...and this happens." His eyes, even if blue, seem to be fiery. It makes me feel better.

He puts a hand on my hair. It is strong and soft. I pretend it is a cloud and close my eyes. Even if his hand is a cloud, it makes me shake and cry even more. And when I cry there is no noise and that makes me cry even more. I want my voice. I want Baba. I want Mama. I want...I want...

"You'll be alright. I promise. You'll get there soon. You'll get to the Spirit World soon." He softly says, patting me on the head.

As my shuddering slows down and all I can do is breathe, I hear him quietly say:

"Hitsugaya Toushiro. That's my name."

Shiro...White.

The clouds in my sleep are soft and light.

* * *

The Japanese solider smirks leeringly as the woman in a sleeveless _qipao _approaches from the dark of the streets. Unable to wait, he takes her by the waist and roughly draws her closer. Their lips crush against each other and he forces his tongue into her mouth. He has her against the wall now, his hand sliding up her smooth leg...

She pulls away and he leans forward, wanting more. With both hands on his chest, she keeps him away and speaks in accented Japanese:

"Payment first."

In his mind, he thinks her a piece of trash. But he really wants it tonight and her body is nice, so he rummages for the coins in his pocket.

"No. I want medicine."

He sharply scoffs and breathes into her face, "Medicine costs a lot."

He does not get the look of submission that turns him on. Instead, the woman's lips, red with lipstick, curve upwards as her arms seducingly wrap around his neck.

"I know...I can give you this tonight...and then another present tomorrow."

She then draws her face close enough for a kiss before whispering in an enticing voice that makes him shiver in excitement:

"A girl...all yours to have fun with."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading and please review! :)**


	3. The Wicked Queen and Her Huntsmen

**The Wicked Queen and the Huntsmen**

She watches her daughter swallow the pills and drink the glass of water. Now she can be relieved that she won't get the illness.

Her eldest son comes into the room and lifts his sister up.

"Where are you going, Sora?"

Carrying her daughter on his back, he gives her a cold expression. "Out. She needs fresh air. Without being polluted by alcohol."

She feels indignant and wants to slap him for being so ungrateful, but she restrains herself.

When they leave, her stomach gnaws and complains. She remembers the stash of food her customers have spared her and starts for the kitchen. Once in the hallway, she notices the bony, mute little girl holding an empty glass bottle. The girl seems to look in one direction for reassurance, although there is no one there. Then she tips the bottle to her lips, as if drinking something. Afterwards, she opens her mouth—as expected, the result is silence. However, the girl tilts her head in perplexed expression.

What a strange child

"Say, you." She leans at the doorway of the kitchen.

Startled, the girl turns and clutches the bottle with both hands as if it is something precious.

Making sure to smile, she asks with her hands on her waist:

"Want to go somewhere fun?"

* * *

The potion didn't work. It didn't work and I don't understand why but now I am outside among the gray buildings stepping in the dirty gray snow with the witch holding my hand. I don't really like her hand; they aren't like Mama'. Her nails are bright red and long so that they dig in my skin because she is holding me too tight. Maybe she is just scared of the Oni getting me.

I think that she feels sorry for how mean she has been to me and is making it up to me. It is just like that one time Mama yelled at me and the day after, she told me she was sorry and we went to get _tang hu lu_, candied fruits, from this nice old street vendor. I wonder if the street vendor is still there. I wonder if the witch knows him too.

Toushiro is walking next to me and his face is kind of scrunched in a frown. He told me that I have to listen to the witch, but to be careful. I think Toushiro thinks that the witch is going to do something bad. But I disagree. All people make mistakes sometimes—that doesn't make them bad.

Suddenly we stop.

I am confused. This is a dark alley. With the sun setting, soon it will be completely dark and scary in here. I don't understand why this place would be fun.

"I have her right here."

I think this is what the witch says. Then a shadow appears from the blackness of the alley. He is huge, even when hunched over. And I can hear his heavy breathing that stinks of something I can't recognize.

It is an Oni.

"Shit, I knew it. Xiao Tao, we have to go!" Bai yells and his hand goes to his sword.

But he can't help me because the witch's grip is too strong. She has set a curse on me—there are chains shackling me to her body. All I can do is squirm as the Oni's red eyes hungrily scan me up and down and up and down. Even if I have a worn dress on, I feel as if I am standing bare-skinned in the cold.

A sharp clang rings in the air and the witch howls, grabbing her arm in pain. The chain is split apart. Toushiro sheaths his sword and holds onto my wrist.

"Shiro!" Surprised and scared, the name escapes me.

He seems caught off guard for a second before he regains his serious face and says: "Come on! Let's go!"

There are growls and shouts behind us. Everything is a blur of gray. Yet too soon, my legs feel numb and there is a sharp pang in my stomach. I slip on the ground. With my bruises and my broken ankle that Bai only bandaged yesterday, it is hard to get up. My arms are too tired to lift the rest of my up. And I keep slipping even if I am screaming inside.

Stomp stomp stomp. The Oni is closer now. I can feel them and it makes me nauseous.

When I lift my head, I see Orihime-chan slowly approaching down the road with her brother, hand-in-hand. They are close enough for me to call out, but the potion didn't work so there is only emptiness when I part my lips. Instead, I have to get their attention another way. My arm shakes as I lift it and reach to brush Orihime-chan's leg.

We meet eyes.

But it is too late, the Oni is here. No, two Oni. They yank me up and one of them throws me over its shoulder.

The Oni seem to howl in laughter at me. They notice Orihime-chan and her brother, growling something at them. Her brother doesn't look at me. Instead, he looks at the ground and replies in Japanese:

"No. We don't know her. Right, Orihime?"

Maybe I don't know enough Japanese yet. Something inside me is hitting my head and I am just not thinking right. He probably said something else. I look to Orihime-chan for reassurance for how I am just silly and wrong—of course they will help.

I can't see those brown eyes anymore. Instead, I am nothing but part of the gray snow when she says in clear Japanese:

"Nope. I don't."

I watch them shrink as the distance between us grows. Their backs are turned towards me, as if I am a stranger. A stranger.

My chest hurts more than my stomach. It hurts more than my ankle. I try one more time to reach my friend. I want to hold hands too. I want Orihime-chan to smile at me again. Squeezing my eyes shut, I let the feelings of want grow. I open my mouth.

"Ori...Orihime...-chan."

The small voice is mine. It is mine.

Now it is stronger.

"Orihime-chan!"

I think I see her stop for a second. It is a second enough to know that she has heard my voice.

But I never see her brown eyes again.

Something big and ugly is twisting and crushing my heart. It hurts so much that I want to cry as the Oni carry me with their slimy arms. I think the wetness on my face are globs of drool that dribble from the monster's large mouths.

They throw me to the stinging cold snow. We are back in the same alley again, but this time, I can't even see the sky because there are too many shadows around me. The black shapes dance around me and then up my body. One...two...three...my head spins. It is too dark and they are too close, with their big hands hovering over me. Their fat lips are curved upward and I can see sharp teeth from their excited snarls.

"I've done my job. So I'll just leave." The witch says quietly.

One of the shadows turns and howls in laughter. The monster is quick and slams the witch into the wall. A green, wet tongue comes out of his mouth and he licks her neck as if he is tasting candy.

"I held up my deal! Stop! I held up my deal!" The witch screams.

The Oni are eating her power away. All of them have walked away from me to suck her power. They grab her by the wrists and legs. They tear away her dress. They eat at her magic like starving dogs.

I don't like it. I don't like how they look so evil when they are hungry.

I take a step back and the snow crunches.

"What are you doing?! Call for help! Call for help!" The witch notices me while the Oni are too busy with her to care. Her eyes are wide and wild. She makes small, weird noises at the same time as the Oni slurp all the magic from all over her body.

I don't like it. I don't like it.

I can hear the familiarity of Chinese in the distance. The potion has cured me now; I can speak my own Chinese to find help; I can even maybe tell the monsters to stop in Japanese.

Instead, I hear my own small voice say:

"Bye bye."

And I dash off into the maze of alleyways, leaving the screams behind me.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry I haven't been updating lately! It's been so difficult with school going on...anyways, please review! :)**


End file.
